David Beckham is just showing off

March 6th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanE

David Beckham’s sojourn to the U.S. to MAKE SOCCER AWESOME has been an abject failure. It’s not because Beckham hasn’t been trying hard; for a guy with little else to prove career-wise (besides the fact that he can play the ball with his left foot), Beckham has worked his ass off. It’s just that … the L.A. Galaxy are bad. And like every other American gimmick, the luster wears off. Most people aren’t even paying attention anymore.

But that doesn’t mean Becks can’t flash a little money every once in a while. Which leads us to this heartwarming story of restaurant tippage, via SbB:

“When I gave them their tab, David snatched it away from his mates. They argued with him a bit but he just looked at them and told them to hush up. I know your website likes tipping stories so you’ll love this: The tab was about $100 and Becks had just added a zero to $1,000! - A $900 tip! I had to ask him if it was correct. He just said, “It is. Is Giggs still your favorite player?” “Not anymore!” On a day where the Galaxy played for charity, David really meant it! I know it’s not a windfall of cash but the tidy sum helped me fix my ailing car and get a cavity filled so it meant a lot to me. What a magical evening! Thank you, David!”

Awww. I would say this is a totally nice, friendly gesture, and my heart would melt into mush, etc, except that I see right though this sordid scheme. Unable to win the hearts of Americans with play on the soccer field, Beckham is beginning his astroturf campaign to build support from the ground up. Now, it’s merely bartenders. Tomorrow? Who knows? But is that the kind of soccer star you want answering that phone at 3 a.m.? Think about it, America.

This message sponsored by Giggs for America.